Gabbro

Harzburgite

Gabbro vs Harzburgite

Gabbro

Harzburgite

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Definition

Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt

Harzburgite is a plutonic rock of the peridotite group consisting largely of orthopyroxene and olivine

History

Origin

Germany

Discoverer

Christian Leopold von Buch

Unknown

Etymology

From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald

From the name of a town in Harzburg, Germany

Class

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phaneritic

Color

Dark Grey to Black

Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Veined and Shiny

Rough and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

Types

Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro

Ultramafic rock

Features

Smooth to touch

Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.

Harzburgite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide

Ca, Fe, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

75.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular

Streak

Black

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

225.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Toughness

1.6

2.1

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.873-3.01

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.7-3.3 g/cm³3.1-3.4 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.71 kJ/Kg K1.25 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

India, Russia

Japan, Oman

Africa

South Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey

France, Germany, Italy

Others

Greenland

Hawaii Islands, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand, Queensland

Gabbro vs Harzburgite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Gabbro and Harzburgite Reserves. Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt. Harzburgite is a plutonic rock of the peridotite group consisting largely of orthopyroxene and olivine. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Gabbro vs Harzburgite information and Gabbro vs Harzburgite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Gabbro vs Harzburgite Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Gabbro vs Harzburgite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gabbro and Properties of Harzburgite. Learn more about Gabbro vs Harzburgite in the next section. The interior uses of Gabbro include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Harzburgite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Gabbro and Harzburgite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gabbro in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate and that of Harzburgite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones.

More about Gabbro and Harzburgite

Here you can know more about Gabbro and Harzburgite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gabbro and Harzburgite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gabbro includes Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene and mineral content of Harzburgite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Gabbro vs Harzburgite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gabbro is available in dark grey to black colors whereas, Harzburgite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. Appearance of Gabbro is Veined and Shiny and that of Harzburgite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gabbro vs Harzburgite. The hardness of Gabbro is 7 and that of Harzburgite is 5.5-6. The types of Gabbro are Anorthosite Gabbro and Norite Gabbro whereas types of Harzburgite are Ultramafic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gabbro is black while that of Harzburgite is white. The specific heat capacity of Gabbro is 0.71 kJ/Kg K and that of Harzburgite is 1.25 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gabbro is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Harzburgite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.